Account tray



' F. L. MANNY.

ACCOUNT TRAY. y

APPLICATIUN FILED IMP-1, UIB

1,325,525. Patented 1300.251919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. L. MANNY.

ACCOUNT TRAY.

APPLICATION msu un. 1. ma.

Patented B55251919.

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FRED L. MANNY, OF BENTON HARBOR,MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO :BAKERJIAWTERCOMPANY, 0F BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 0F MICHIGAN.

ACCOUNT-TRAY.

Application led March 7, 1918.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED L. MANNY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Benton Harbor, in the countyof Berrien and State of Michigan, have linvented certain new and usefulImprovements in Account-Trays, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention has for its object the improvement and perfectingof an -account tray which constitutes the subject matter of a pendingapplication for patent of 4`Walter H. Hanna filed March G, 1916, SerialNo. 82,297, and which is designed to be used as a permanent holder for agroup of account sheets such as are used in Aaccount.- ing andbookkeeping systems to form a ledger or other account record, theaccount tray being designed to serve in itself as a substitute for theordinary loose leaf binder, and a posting tray commonly used to holdsheets removed from the binder and placedA thereon in convenientposition for use in connection with an adding and listing machine' suchas is commonly used for posting items on the sheets.

To the end in'view l have designed and invented the newf and improvedaccount tray hereinafter more fully described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings forming part of this application, and whichembodies various features of novelty and utility.

One feature of my present invention relates to a bail or handleadjustable to different positions to support the front plate of the trayin different angular positions; another feature relates to the hingingof the back plate to the follower; and other features relate tomechanical changes in design and arrangement facilitating assemblage ofparts, means for preventing leaves from accidentally sliding under theforward plate, and a coloring of the sides of the tray designed tolighten it at the bottom so that matter on the lower part of the sheetscan be easily read. The essential features of novelty of my inventionwill be more par-v ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan View of my new account tray; Fig. 2is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 isa transverse vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, partly brokenaway to show certain detailsk of construc- Speccaton of Lettersatent.

Patentes nee. 2a, isis.

Serial No. 220,974.

tion; Fig. 4f is a partial longitudinal vertical section, viewed in thesame direction as in Fig. 2 but with the supporting plates spread apartto support the entry sheets in working position; Fig. 5 is a verticalsection on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, certain parts being broken away toshow other parts beyond; Fig. G is a bottom plan view of the followergripping mechanism and Fig. 7 is a vertical cross section on the line 77 of Fig. 6, showing in detail certain parts of the follower grippingmechanisn'l and the carriage slides.

rlhe same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures of the drawing.

rllhe body l of my new and improved account tray is formed as arectangular box of sheet metal, and at the front and rear ends the metalis sharply cupped inwardly as shown in the drawings to form handles 2-2.A rectangular cover 3 is provided, formed to interlock along the rearmeeting edges, with the body l, and this cover is equipped with a locke,the bolt of which cooperates with a keeper fl arranged just above thehandle 2 at the front of the box, in order to enable the account sheetsto be locked up when not in use. Disks of felt are secured to the bottomof the tray to serve as feet and prevent injury to any sur face uponwhich it may be placed. Rigidly secured within the tray are false innerside walls 5 of slightly less height than the outer walls of the traybody. in the present in-A stance, and preferably, the inner walls areformed of sheet metal coated with a white enamel paint 'on the inside,and the opposite walls carry at their tops rails 6-6 togetherconstituting carrier track`arranged to support a follow mechanism. Theinner walls are formed with shallow cups or depressions 7 which contactthe outer walls of the tray and serve to space the inner walls a properdistance therefrom, and the Walls are secured in place in the tray byend flanges 7a which may be integral with the sides, or separate pieces.brazed thereto, as desired.

The follower devices in my improved account tray` include a slidingcarriage having a downwardly flanged top cross-plate 8 to the ends ofwhich are secured the slides 9-*9 and to the front of which is secured adepending stop plate l0. Underneath the top A is housed a grippingmechanism which autoplate 8 betweenl its iiange and the plate 10matically yields to permit the follower carriage to shift forwardly, butresists backward pressure-until released by manipulation of a pair offinger pieces 11.4 While the specific grippingl mechanism forms no partof my present invention it may be here stated that the finger pieces 11consist of the upturned ends of a pair of sliding bars 12 having theirouter'ends hooked over the spring-pressed bell crank levers 18 formedwith curved surfaces arranged to wedge against'the rails 6 when attemptis made to slide the follower rearwardly without shifting them out ofcontact with such rails by means of the finger pieces.

The back plate 14 which constitutes the rear support for the body ofsheets is in my new account tray hinged to the top of the cross plate 8of the follower,-in the present instance by means of a pair of bearingbrackets 15 secured/to the top plate which support pintles engagingbearing orifices in triangular flanged brackets 16 secured to the backplate. The iianged lower edges of these brackets 16 form stops limitingthe angular movement of the back plate beyond a given inclination.Obviously, when the follower is drawn forward from thc position ofgreatest inclination shown in Fig. JC to the vertical Aposition shown inFig. 2, or vice versa, the back plate will rock on its hingeswith theweight of the body of sheets against it and may be set for theconvenience of the operator to any inclination desired within the limitsof its movement determined by the stop plate 10 and the lower edges ofthe brackets 16.

Near the front of the tray a front plate 17 is provided to support theforwardly inclined portion of the body of sheets, this plate beinghinged by means of pivot pins 18 engaging sockets formed in brackets 19attached to the lower edge of the plate and extending into orificesforming bearings therefor in the lower portion of the inner sidewalls 5.The pins 18 may be slid lengthwisein their sockets in the brackets 19 topermit disengagement and removal of the front plate, if desired'. In thepresent instance thefront plate inside the hinges is cut away upwardlyfrom the bottom a short distance to clear an alining rod hereinafterdescribed, and the plate is stiffened by a ribbedv reinforcing strip 2Oabove the cut. In order to prevent sheets Vof paper from slipping underVthe front plate V-shaped spring metal clips 21 are provided vwhichresiliently engage the horizontal rearwardly-eXtending top iiange of asupporting strip 22 extending across and secured to the bottom of thetray `adj acent the front thereof. A similar supporting strip 23, thetop flange of which extends forward, is secured to the bottom of the boxnear its rear end, and the alining rod above mentioned, slit at bothends to slidably engage the flanges of the strips 22 and 23 and equippedwith set screws for adjustably securing the rod to the strips, ismounted longitudinally of the tray between said strips. Ihe bottom edgesof account sheets adapted to be used in the tray are formed with openslots, as shown, and the above-described adjustment of the rod adapts itto be used with any spacing of' the slots which the sheets may have, thestop clips 21 being shifted laterally in the cutout portion of the frontplate as may be necessary. Preferably a strip of sheet metal corrugatedcrosswise, is secured to the 'bottom of the boX between the strips 22and 23, to afford resistance to slipping of the lower edges of t-hesheets on the bottom of the tray.

The `front side of the front Vplate 17 is provided with a pivoted bailor curved handle 24 by means of which the plate can be set to threepositions of angular adjustment. lVhen the handle is fitted between theoutside tray handle 2 and the keeper la of the lock, the plate is heldin vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2; when the'handle is up, asshown in said ligure in dotted lilies, the plate. is supported in oneinclined position, the outer end of the handle resting against the frontface of the plate and the centers of the bowed side members restingagainst the front wall of the tray, and when the handle is down, asshown in Fig. 4 the plate is permitted to rest against the keeper of thelock in a position still farther inclined from the vertical. Accordinglyas the bail is swung to upper or to lower position, therefore, the

plate is permitted to assume two different positions of angularadjustment.

I claim:

1. In an account tray or the like, a front plate pivoted near its loweredge adjacent the front of the tray, and a pivoted bail arranged tocooperate with said front plate and tray front to support the frontplate in vertical position at an intermediate point of adjustment of thebail and permit such plate to assume different positions of angularadjustment for positions of said'bail on opposite sides of saidintermediate point.

2. In an account tray or the like, a front plate pivoted near its loweredge adjacent the front of the tray, and a bail pivoted to' said frontplate and arranged to coperate with the front of the tray to supportsaid front plate in vertical position at an intermediate point ofadjustment of the bail and I permit such plate to assume differentpositions of angular adjustment for positions of said bail on oppositesides of said intermediate point.

3. In anaccount tray or the like having' aninwardly indented handle andan inside lock element immediately thereabove on its front side, a frontplate pivoted near its Y lower edge adjacent the front of the tray,

and a bail pivotcd on the front side of said plate and arranged tosupport said plate in vertical position when the bail is fitted betweensaid handle and said lock element and permit said plate to assume twodierent inclined positions according as the bail is swung to upper or tolower position.

4. In an account tray or the like. a front plate pivoted near its loweredge to the sides of the tray near the front thereof, said plate beingcut away along the bottom between the hinging points, a longitudinallyarranged alinngbar passing through said bottom cut of the front plate,and a laterally adjustable stop .member extending upwardly and forward]from a oint in the bottom 'of the tray w 'ch is adjacent a line passingaxially through the hinges of said front plate.

5. In an account tray or the like, a front plate pivoted near its loweredge to the sides of the tray near the front thereof, said plate beingcut away along the bottom between the hinging points, a transversesupporting strip secured to the bottom of the `tray forwardly of saidfront plate, a longitudinally arranged alining bar passing through saidbottom cut of the front plate, and a laterally adjustable stop memberextending upwardly and forwardly from a ofthe tray which is adjacent aline passing 'axially through the hinges of said front plate andarranged to engage said transv verse supporting strip.

'- Y 6. 4In an account tray orthe like, a struc-V int in the bottomporting strip provides a longitudinal recess and the stop member is aV-shaped metal .clip adapted to make frictional engagement insaidrecess.

7. In an account tray or the like, a front supporting strip securedtothe bottom of the tray and formed with a rearwardly eX- tendinghorizontal flange, a rear supporting strip secured to the bottom of thetray and formed with a forwardly extending horizontal flange, and analining rod slit at its opposite ends to adjustably engage said fiangesand equipped with set screws for securing it in adjusted position.

8. In an account tray or the like, a follower bar'arranged to beadjusted forwardly and rearwardljv adjacent the top of the tray, saidbar being formed with a depending stop'plate, and a back plate hingedadjacent its middle line and adjacent the top of said stop plate.

9. In an account tray or the like, a follower bar arranged to beadjusted forwardly and rearwardly adjacent the top of the tray,

' FRD" L. MANNY.

